Smudger the Free Engine
Dear Friends, I once met a man whose father worked for the Upper and Lower Valley Railways. “His name was Ryo Gunji,” he told me, “He represented both railways. He would travel the world, bringing engines who had been abandoned or sold back to the Island, and give them a second chance.” I found, to my surprise, that lots of the engines Ryo found still exist today! I met them, and they told me their stories. One little engine told me some particularly interesting tales... The Author Smudger Remembers Once, a long time ago, there were three little engines, who lived in their own little shed, on their own little railway. Of the three of them, Duke was the oldest and wisest, and he liked to keep the little engines in order. Duke also helped new engines and taught them what to do. Many engines came and went on the little railway, but Duke outlasted them all. One day, a big gray tank engine had arrived. Duke had told him to take some trucks to the slate mines. “Don't be late,” Duke had warned him, “That would never suit His Grace!” The engine just laughed, and puffed away with his trucks. After his hard work, he had stopped in a siding to rest. Next to him was a big shed. He could just barely see a green boiler and a long funnel. “It must be an engine,” he thought to himself. “Hullo!” he called to the shed, “Is there anybody in there?” “Are you one of the new engines?” came a voice. “I might be,” the engine said suspiciously, “My name is Fredrick.” “My name's Smudger. I used to work on this railway too.” “What happened?” asked Fredrick. “I came here several years ago,” said Smudger, “but I wasn't used to the line, and I had a bad attitude. On my first day, Duke warned me that this railway puts up with no nonsense, and that I needed to be on my best behavior. “'I'll be fine!,' I insisted, 'I can handle myself!' But that was easier said than done, as I soon found out. I often rode too roughly down the line, and often derailed. Duke got really tired of me constantly coming off. “One day, I myself had finally got tired of his nagging. “Listen, Dukie,' I said to him, 'Who worries about a few spills?' “'We do here,' he said, but I just laughed.” “Why did you laugh?” asked Fredrick. “I don't remember anymore,” Smudger said sadly, “I must have found it funny, or else I laughed to hide my own shame.” Smudger coughed, and then he continued. “Then one day, manager took away my wheels, and told me he was going to make me 'useful at last'.” “So what do you do now?” “He made me into a pumping engine, to pump water out of a mine for some town. Then I broke down, and I was moved here behind the shed. Driver says all I need is a good pair of wheels, and I'll be running as good as new.” Smudger sighed sadly. “It would be so nice,” he said thoughtfully, “if I could go out and see the world again.” “Well,” Fredrick said with a grin, “if it's freedom you want, you should leave as quickly as possible.” “Why is that?” asked Smudger. “This railway's on the verge of closing,” said Fredrick, “Mines and routes are slowly going away. I'd say in a good year or two, the engines will be up for sale.” Smudger gulped. “Then what should I do?” he asked. “There's an important man coming to visit tomorrow,” said Fredrick, “representing a far-away railway. He's looking for engines ready to work as soon as possible.” “How far away?” asked Smudger. “Far enough that you won't see me again!” laughed Fredrick, “On the other side of the world, it seems! Driver says that tomorrow's his last day on Sodor, so if you want to get a new home, you'd better make sure to grab his attention.” “I'll try,” said Smudger, growing excited, “Thank you, Fredrick.” “Please,” replied Fredrick, “My friends call me Freddie.” And with that, Freddie chuffed off back to work. First Impressions Smudger was excited the next morning. The Representative was coming to the railway, and Smudger was keen to get his attention. “If he notices me,” he said, “maybe he'll buy me!” “We can only hope,” laughed his Fireman. He had brought Smudger's old wheels, and then he gave Smudger a good polish. Then he went inside the cab and lit the little engine's fire. Smudger felt great. His fire was burning nicely, he had plenty of steam, and his brass shone. “He can't ignore me now!” he said happily. The hours passed. Smudger was getting more and more nervous. “Maybe he decided not to visit,” he thought, “and thought he should go home instead.” His Fireman sighed. “I'll be back soon,” he said. He shut off Smudger's steam, and then headed inside to eat his lunch. Just then, a little blue engine puffed by, pulling coaches. Smudger's eyes lit up. “He must have brought the Representative!” he thought. He tried to whistle, but he couldn't without the Fireman. The blue engine stopped just outside the sheds, and a important-looking man stepped out. Smudger could see him shaking the Manager's hand. “That must be him!” he said to himself. He was very worried. The Representative was standing very far away, and couldn't see Smudger. Smudger tried to shout. “Hey!” he shouted as loud as he could, “Over here!” but his voice was muffled behind the wall in front of him. His Fireman had still not come back from lunch. Smudger began to panic. Meanwhile, the Representative was speaking to the manager. “Have you got any engines for sale?” he asked, “Our Railway needs engines right away.” “Sorry,” said the Manager, “but we couldn't give up our engines if we wanted. We're struggling to keep up with industry as it is.” The Representative frowned. “None in the sheds, or further up the line?” “None,” said the Manager, “There is another narrow gauge railway on this Island. Have you visited them?” Smudger watched as the two men talked. He wondered why his Fireman wasn't back yet. “Please hurry up!” he groaned. He could see that the Representative looked upset. “Oh no,” cried Smudger, “He's going to leave!” Just then, his Fireman arrived. “Sorry I took a while,” he said to Smudger, “My wife called, and—” “Save it!” cried Smudger, “The man's about to go!” The Fireman headed inside the cab. Smudger was getting more and more worried. “Hurry!” he cried to his Fireman. The Representative shook the Manager's hand. “I'll just have to go elsewhere and look,” he said sadly, “There's bound to be another little railway elsewhere.” “You can hope, anyway!” chuckled the Manager. We do hope to see you again soon.” Just then, they heard a loud, shrill whistle that made them both jump. “What was that?” asked the Representative, very surprised. “That must have been...” began the Manager, but before he could finish, the Representative was already heading over to the back of the shed. The Representative laughed when he saw Smudger staring up at him. “What's this engine doing here?” he asked the Manager. “He wasn't fit to run the line,” the Manager explained, “So we fitted him to use as a steam pumping engine.” “All he needs is his wheels fitted back on,” said the Fireman, “and he'll run as good as new!” The Representative smiled at the Manager. “Is this little engine for sale?” he asked kindly. “He's...” the Manager gave Smudger a good long stare before nodding. “Of course,” he said, “You may have him.” Smudger let out a huge sigh of relief. “All right then!” the Representative said, “See to it that he has his wheels fitted on at once! And bring him to the harbor tomorrow. Good day to you, Sir.” Saying Goodbye The next morning, Smudger was woken up early. His wheels had been fitted back on the night before, and the wall in front of him was torn down. A small ramp stood before him, leading onto the rails. His fire was soon lit, and he was sizzling with excitement. “Finally!” he chucked, “Wait till that old Duke hears about this!” His Driver laughed. “No time for small talk,” he said, “Let's get you moving.” A workman stood close by, and he helped the Driver direct the little engine out of the shed and onto the Main Line. Smudger felt wonderful being back on the rails. He remembered another engine shared his same ordeal. “I wonder how Stanley is,” he said. He was given truck filled with coal, and his Fireman filled Smudger's tanks while his Driver looked at the map. “We'd better get going,” he said, “if we want to catch your boat on time. Be on your best behavior, understood?” “Yeah, I hear you, dangit,” said Smudger absentmindedly. He was too busy wondering what sort of railway he would be moved to. At first, the trip to the harbor was a very smooth one. Smudger even passed Facon and Stuart, who were very surprised to see him passing by! Further down the line, however, Smudger derailed, and his Driver and Fireman had to lever him back onto the line. “You'd better hope you don't miss that boat of yours,” his Driver said grimly. “It ain't my fault this railway's so...” Smudger began. His Fireman severely hushed him. Smudger decided to keep quiet the rest of the journey, and try to stay on the rails. Above them, the sun was rising higher into the sky. His Driver kept checking his watch. At long last, they arrived at the harbor. Here the narrow gauge line ended, and the Fat Controller's railway was nearby. Smudger had only been to the harbor once before, but he could hardly remember it now. Along the water, there were many ships, big and small. Most of the ships were for transporting goods, but Smudger couldn't tell which ship was for the Representative. “Hey, bud!” he called out to a workman who was on his lunch break, “Can you help me out here?” “Not with that attitude!” snapped the workman, and he went back to his sandwich. There was suddenly a loud toot. A ship was ready to leave. Smudger began to panic. “That can't be my boat, right?” he asked his Driver. “He never gave us the ship's name,” his Driver groaned, “How does he expect us to find him?” “There can't be any harm in checking,” his Fireman said. Leaving Smudger in a siding, they hurried over to see what ship was leaving. Smudger hissed with impatience. “I wonder where they're going,” came a familiar voice beside him. Smudger nearly yelped. There, standing next to him, was the Representative himself! “I had forgotten to tell you which ship was mine,” he said, “and I apologize. Now if we want to make good time, we'd best be going now.” His Driver and Fireman returned, and saw the Representative. After having a good laugh about the situation, the ship whistled that it was nearly time to leave. “I guess we'd better get him loaded up then,” said the Representative with a smile. Smudger was moved as close to the ship as possible, and was uncoupled from his truck. After thanking the men, the Representative headed on board the ship. After they put out his fire, Smudger said goodbye to his old Driver and Fireman. They left to catch the next train home. Using strong cranes, they loaded Smudger onto the ship. He looked out at the Island one last time with a confident grin. “Look out, brave new world,” Smudger said, “because here I come!” With that, the ship's whistle blasted long and loud, and Smudger was on his way to his new home. Engines at Sea Smudger enjoyed riding the big ship, but presently grew lonely. A few days later the ship stopped again, and another engine was brought on board. She was a big, gray tank engine. Smudger decided to talk. “Hey!” he said to her, “The name's Smudger.” “My name is...” the big engine replied, but suddenly frowned. “Oh,” she chucked, “I guess I don't have a name yet.” Smudger was surprised. “Why not?” he asked. “I was just built,” she explained, “Have you met the Representative? He came right into our Yard and asked if there were any engines available right that second, and they sold me.” Just as she finished, the Representative walked in. “So what kind of place is this railway anyway?” asked Smudger. The Representative grinned. “It's one of the most beautiful railways in the world,” he told them, “There's a big railway that passes through cities, mountains, and forest. And there's a little railway by the sea and in the lovely countryside. And they both pass through a stunning valley that leaves you breathless.” The big engine smiled. “It sounds wonderful,” she said happily. “It gets better,” the Representative went on. “The big railway has a branch line, its own Works, and many other things. They even have a secret post office railway – only the railwaymen know about it!” “When do we get there?” Smudger blurted out. “In about a week or so,” the Representative answered, “Don't worry, it won't be too long. Once we get there, you'll be taken to your railway on a lorry. And you,” he went on, looking at the big tank engine, “You'll be picked up by one of the engines, and they'll get you to work as soon as possible.” The Representative left, and the two engines talked all night about their new home. The ship left the harbor the next day. The two engines didn't have much to do in the storage room, so they talked about their old homes. Smudger told her all about Duke and Stanley, and how he managed to be bought by the Representative. The other engine told Smudger all about the mainland. Smudger thought for a while. “Are you going to miss your old home?” he asked her. She looked up at the ceiling. “I'm not sure,” she said, “I mean, it was a nice place, but I really didn't know anybody, and I wasn't there for too long anyway. What about you?” “I might,” replied Smudger, “It wasn't the nicest of places – especially that old gramps – but they did their best.” A workman came in. “Hey you two,” he chuckled, “Are you bored cooped up in here?” “We're getting alone fine,” said Smudger, “Why?” “The big man says I can let you come out to the deck and look at the sea, if you like.” Smudger still had some coal and water, but the other engine was completely empty. “Go for me,” she said, “and please tell me how it is!” “Of course,” Smudger said to his new friend. Some men lit his fire, and he was soon making plenty of steam. The workman opened the long door in front of him, leading out to the ship's deck. Slowly and carefully, Smudger puffed along the thin rails outside the storage room. He stopped on top of the deck, and gasped. “It's not like me to appreciate beauty,” he said, “but darn if this isn't a sight to see!” He was certainly right. All around the ship was a sparkling blue sea, with the sounds of the calming ocean waves splashing against the ship. The sun was shining bright, and some fluffy clouds floated lazily along. Smudger stayed out there for a few hours, watching the sun slowly begin to set over the horizon, before they brought him back into the storage room. Smudger told the big engine what he had see. “It sounds like it was amazing,” she said. “It was,” Smudger replied with a grin, “And it got me thinking: if I'm going to a fresh new place where nobody knows me, I should make the best of it. When I get there, I'll make sure to show everyone how useful an engine like me can be!” “That's good to hear,” the big engine giggled, and the two fell happily asleep. Category:Railway Series Books